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  • Musipedia Of Metal

    Reviews: Silvertomb, Scarlet Rebels, Wraith, Yngwie Malmsteen (Matt Bladen & Keith Boswell)

    Silvertomb - The Interpretation Of Nightmares (Steamhammer) [Matt Bladen]

    At the risk of being released probably two weeks too late for Halloween, The Interpretation Of Nightmares is an ideal soundtrack for the frigid nights of November where it's dark at 4pm, the winter chill frostbites the extremities and everything seems a little bleak as the ever encroaching madness of the years end looms over you like a Mariah Carey shaped sleep paralysis demon.

    Silvertomb are the embodiment of this winter bleakness, their music is an overspill from Samhain, into the season of darkness, they have auspiciously waited seven years to follow up their debut but this is a supergroup that have languished in the gothic realms of doom and desolation as Silvertomb features two members who have served time with Type O Negative/Danzig.

    Vocalist/guitarist Kenny Hickey and drummer Johnny Kelly are the ones that have been in these gothic legends but they are joined by guitarist Joe James (ex-Agnostic Front), bassist Hank Hell (ex-Sheer Terror) and guitarist/keyboardist Aaron Joos, to make a super group of sorts that put their musical fingerprints across this record, their second studio release delayed by a global pandemic and Hickey's struggle with alcohol addiction.

    This gap has probably actually been a boon to Silvertomb as this is a stunning record if you like your metal with a a diverse creative influence, as Prayer For The Paranoid and No Way To Live, worship of Iommi, Ozzy and co, the shadow of Sabbath one of the strongest of the styles visited on The Interpretation Of Nightmare.

    As the latter gets all trippy in the middle, it opens up some of the other styles that Silvertomb bring to the table with a progressive streak that has some major Pink Floyd inspiration on the middle section of When Will You Learn which shows off the guitar skills on offer from the three guitarists, Graves In The Sky dreamily letting acoustics seep into this psychedelic nightmare.

    There's Black Label Society on the big riffing Distorted, Hickey's carrying the same weight and drawl as Zakk as he sings about his addiction and the recovery that came afterwards on You Know, and rejoice as there's Type O nihilism on the opener Brain Matter No God, raw and dirty with thundering bottom end.

    If you have even even a passing interest in the bands I mentioned in this review then you need The Interpretation Of Nightmares, a supergroup of epic proportions. 9/10

    Scarlet Rebels – Flawed By Design (Earache Records) [Keith Boswell]

    The Llanelli four piece will very shortly be releasing their fourth studio album on the Earache Record label entitled Flawed By Design on the 13th November 2026. Emanating from the Arch Recording Studios under the tutelage of producer Chris Clancy is the eleven-track offering from one of Wales’s most popular bands around at the moment Scarlet Rebels.

    The album is centred and written around a tragic loss and the reflection of how flawed life is to let that happen. At this point I think it prudent to admit that I am probably the only person in Wales who has not listened to a Scarlet Rebels track ever! So, I go into this review with my eyes open and based upon recent media reaction I am in for a treat! Historically critics have really pushed and praised the Rebels previous album, Where Colours Meet, released in 2024, so no pressure on the band to keep this quality product going then!

    So straight into proceedings with the first track Gods Honest Truth which sets the tone for the album, it’s very polished and has some good riffs and hooks, it almost makes you feel comfortable, like a warm duvet, further listening unveils a great solo towards the end of the track from lead guitarist Chris Jones.

    Interestingly the intro for track two This Is Happening Now, in my opinion, could almost have been written by the Stereophonics or the Manics, it seems just so typically Welsh with that opening riff that drives the song along, it’s a given that Wayne Doyle certainly has his own voice but I think the listener will understand especially when the hooks continue throughout in the same or similar vein. After listening to a few more tracks, I’m starting to get the feeling that this will be the tempo / style that will be a constant throughout and indeed after a few listens this proves to be the case.

    Now I maybe a little controversial here, but I find the songs very similar, and dare I say it somewhat bland. I know I will be shot down by the whole of Wales I’m sure, but it just doesn’t appeal to me. I know that fans of Scarlet Rebels will love it and enjoy this album which is great and so they should. I will endeavour to try and find some love for it by listening further but I’m not convinced that will happen. Technically a well-polished and produced album just not for me. 6/10

    Wraith - Descent Into Darkness (Prosthetic Records) [Matt Bladen]

    Descent Into Darkness is the sixth album from Midwest thrashers Wraith. Some thrash bands like to have a bit of fun or show off Wraith are not like that, their focussed and ferocious, yes there's lots of guitar solos for the air guitar fans but this Indiana band want to start a riot.

    They even play the siren on Atomic Queen to warn you of their impending aggression, it's extreme and packed with lyrics drawn from the darkest parts of history. Rapid pace drumming, razor's edge riffs but melodies that come from twin guitar assault on Misery And Malice that brings similarities to tourmates Midnight and Exciter.

    The album is about the horrors of war, World War I, a particularly strong influence for frontman Matt, the blood-drenched fields of Verdun, the Somme and Passchendaele, explored on Over The Top and No Mans Land, these vivid depictions of futility driven by a barbaric thrash metal assault and the shouted vocals.

    The band say that Descent Into Darkness is hinged on No Man's Land and Back In The Trenches, the final two songs. Both giving you depictions of the dirt, blood and brutality of WWI in the no nonsense style that Wraith have sharpened to lethal efficiency over five albums, Descent Into Darkness, is on the nastier edge of thrash, with thought provoking lyrics and technical dexterity. 8/10

    Yngwie Malmsteen – Hell Or High Water (Music Theories Recording/Artone Label Group) [Keith Boswell]

    After forty years in the music industry Yngwie Malmsteen delivers his twenty second studio album Hell Or High Water on the 13th November 2026. Released by Music Theories Recording / Artone Label Group the piece of work consists of nine both instrumental and vocal tracks for a duration of just over forty minutes.

    The album is typically Malmsteen, a neoclassical form of fast guitar metal, impossibly fast some may say. After listening to the first few songs, it becomes apparent that this album deserves to seen on the stage in some symphonic manner played by a first class symphony group and not offered out necessarily to rock fans in purely an album format. The music is certainly atmospheric but unfortunately after a few listens it is evident that the music is uninspiring and repetitive.

    This may upset the Malmsteen faithful and that’s ok because I’m sure they will hold this piece of work in high regard. I love a guitar solo as much if not more than the next person but even this is too much for me! I take my hat off to Malmsteen and the career that he has had to date but unfortunately this album is very much not for me. 5/10
    Reviews: Eternity's End, Mason Hill, Ptolemea, Wood Burnt Red (Keith Boswell, Matt Bladen, Mateusz Stefanow & Spike)

    Eternity’s End – Titanblood (Scarlet Records) [Keith Boswell]

    Eternity’s End are a power metal band from Bavaria, Germany. Formed in 2014 the band have released their fourth studio album Titanblood on the 6th November 2026.

    It has been five years since we last had the privilege of an album from Eternity’s End, would Titanblood live up to the standards that they have set themselves previously? 

    One thing is for sure you know exactly what you are going to get from Eternity’s End and that’s high speed, shred heavy, dramatic, intense metal and one is most certainly not disappointed in this new offering.

    On my first listen the band reminded me very much of the 1980’s giants Helloween with their high-pitched vocals and plentiful guitars. This coupled with a mixture of Control Denied’s late vocalist Tim Aymar tones interspersed throughout makes for a heady blend of vocal loveliness. 

    If you enjoy songs that seemingly have their entire duration made up of guitar type solos, percussive double bass pedal action and keyboards to boot, you are in the right place.

    That said the first track, The Gods Of Bal Sagoth, opens very delicately with a short acoustic intro, but don’t let this fool you, it last for approximately thirty seconds whereby an avalanche of guitars and drums hit you like a sledgehammer. Its great I love it already!

    It is clear that a quality metal guitar shredding symphony of delights awaits the listener, double guitars providing melodic rhythm and crushing solo type notes in tandem, is the order of the day.

    Sword In The Storm, sees the introduction of the keyboards as another main ingredient in this metal soup, keyboard player, Jimmy Pitts, provides an atmospheric edge to this song which melds almost as one with the guitars. Great work.

    I particularly enjoyed track four, the instrumental Interstellar Transmission, through the use principally of the keyboards and guitars it allows the listener to close their eyes and imagine the transmission of information being passed through the soundwaves in space, its proggy offering just transports you there until it’s time to come back down to earth again.

    After this short interlude the album takes off again with The Wakes Of The Carrion King and Eternal Winter, coming down briefly for a series of tempo changes in the Abyss Watchers and concluding proceedings with the all guns firing Rule The Night.

    After a number of listens this album has really stuck with me and I’ll be listening to it well after this review has been read! 8/10

    Mason Hill - World So Wonderful (7hz Productions) [Matt Bladen]

    Heavy rock of the modern kind now with the new record from Mason Hill. An album that has been a long time coming and record against no shortage of issues, roadblocks and general music industry shenanigans.

    Despite only being a decade old they have faced record label bull, a pandemic and their singer leaving. Some bands wouldn't survive one of these nevermond all of them, the band themselves even though about closing the book on the band.

    However they persevered and Mason Hill's sophomore has finally arrived six years after their debut and it's the sound of a band looking to their new era, a new voice behind the mic leading to a new musical exploration.

    They didn't want to repeat what they did on their debut, wanting World So Wonderful to be the definition of who the band are now, tracks like the ballad Stay For A Little While have American alternative rock comes in.

    The contempoary sound continuing through the electronics that twitch and pulsate behind their riffs on Hurricane and Silence, as the stomping Burn It Down, Resonate and Without You are the height of modernity as the latter two even opens up to shouted vocals.

    Overcoming a lot of adversity, it seems Mason Hill have discovered that there's a World So Wonderful when you persevere and let your music speak for you. 7/10

    Ptolemea - The Antfarm Session (RagingPlanet) [Mateusz Stefanow]

    Following Ptolemea’s 2025 release of Kali vocalist Priscila Da Costa returned to delve deeper into the depths of her music, to strip back the layers and show the power of her vocals and an acoustic guitar. 

    Thus was born the Antfarm Session; by shedding the post/alt-rock elements of the former release she dives into the dark-folk aspects that underlie her music. Although listening to Kali is not necessary to appreciate the power and depth of this release, I would highly recommend it.

    Gaivota has been promoted to the opening track, a purely vocal song, that has lost none of it’s impact from the original release, perhaps gaining a newfound intimacy in the loneliness of the vocals, as Da Costa showcases her phenomenal vocal control.

    Aqui, Ali, Acola is next, and the acoustic guitar opens this next song. Featuring soft, drawn out vocal sections paired with more forceful sections this song is floats on the winds of Da Costa’s strumming, giving the track a dark edge and living up to the dark folk subgenre.

    Guilhotina once again reminds us that this release lacks nothing despite having less than on Kali, the raw humanity that Priscila carries within her breathes life and depth into this album.

    Breathe becomes lighter, with softer strumming, and more restrained vocals, a brighter, musically more gentle song, yet losing no complexity or quality, the high notes are hit flawlessly and uplift the soul, before carrying us up, up and away.

    Kura, and then Kali are once again a touch darker, but the darkness of the shadows of leaves on a late summer evening in the forest, slowly encompassing you, whilst the last vestiges of sunlight reach out through the trees.

    This album is exquisite, it’s soft, yet powerful, dark yet light, and so simple yet so deep. Da Costa understands what makes her music so emotive and uniquely her own, and lets the petals of Kali fall away to reveal the blooming core beneath, a triumphant success. 9/10

    Wood Burnt Red – Hold On Tight (Independent) [Spike]

    It’s fair to say that Southern-fried country rock isn't usually the first port of call when rifling through my listening queue. 

    When your day-to-day listening is dominated by caveman death metal slams, feedback-drenched shoegaze, and punishing sludge, dropping a record that trades blast beats for acoustic strums and lap steel requires an immediate shift in gears. It is definitely a good bit "softer" than my usual fare. 

    Here’s the bottom line: if you’re going to pick a genre and commit to doing it properly, you’d better deliver the goods. On Hold On Tight, UK outfit Wood Burnt Red provide a masterclass in how to execute that style with absolute class, heart, and razor-sharp songcraft.

    Hailing from Gloucestershire and fronted by vocalist Tom Franklin, Wood Burnt Red don't sound like a bunch of British lads putting on a polite, dress-up pantomime of Americana. They sound like they were raised on sweet tea, porch-sitting, and sawdust barrooms. 

    For fans of Blackberry Smoke, Whiskey Myers, or The Cadillac Three, this record lands like a statement of intent, proving that world-class Southern rock and country can be forged just as effectively on UK soil as it is on the outskirts of Nashville.

    The record kicks off with Best Things, immediately setting a cheeky, self-deprecating tone. It’s got a buoyant, hoe-down bounce that leans into wry humour, but with observations that hit uncomfortably close to home. 

    That good-time grin gives way to pure horsepower on Fire Me Up, which hits with the swagger of a bucking bull at a Friday night rodeo. The guitar work here is tight, crunchy, and packed with rock 'n' roll attitude, proving early on that the band can dial up the grit whenever they please.

    Where Hold On Tight truly elevates itself, however, is in its emotional honesty. Count My Blessings puts the party vibes aside to confront the brutal realities of addiction and recovery. Franklin’s vocals carry immense weight here, there's no theatrical posturing, just pure, believable vulnerability that makes you hang on every word. 

    That sincerity bleeds right into Bartender, a soulful, whiskey-tinged anthem steeped in classic country storytelling about wanting nothing more than an ear to listen to life's bruises.

    The album isn't afraid to linger in darker emotional spaces either. Drifting explores depression with remarkable restraint, keeping the instrumentation sparse and gentle so Franklin's voice has all the room it needs to breathe. That fragile beauty extends into One Chance, a deep, haunting love song that serves as one of the quietest highlights of the collection.

    The mood lifts naturally with Every Road, which captures the warmth of a late-night acoustic jam around an open firepit, before Times a Healer brings back the swagger with an infectious, karma-fuelled stomp that puts a broad smile on your face. 

    On Simple Place, the band delivers a stunning, reflective powerhouse about taking stock of what truly matters in life, boasting a towering vocal delivery from Franklin that carries more than a little Scott Stapp/early Creed grit and warmth.

    The energy peaks on To The Moon, an upbeat, swaggering number with a killer groove that practically demands line-dancing boots, before the closing powerhouse 

    Where You Are Now brings the journey home. Starting with gentle reflection before building into a soaring, dual-guitar breakdown, it confronts friendship, disappointment, and hard-earned wisdom with immense emotional payoff.

    Hold On Tight might be a stylistic detour from the heavier end of my shelf, but great songwriting is undeniable no matter the decibel level. Wood Burnt Red have delivered a warm, funny, moving, and brilliantly performed record that proves authentic Southern rock has found a formidable new outpost across the Atlantic. 

    An absolute triumph of craft. 8/10


    Reviews: Konvent, Purest Form, Dantalion, Sigilo (Matt Bladen, Spike, Mateusz Stefanow & Yasmin Mason)

    Konvent - Firesky (Napalm Records) [Matt Bladen]

    Back with their third album, Danish band Konvent have only written five new tracks on Firesky but they are the weightiest, heaviest and longest tracks in their career so far.

    The foursome of Rikke Emilie List (vocals), Amira Liv Hernan (guitar/vocals), Julie Simonsen (drums) and Heidi Withington Brink (bass) have crafted this album from the ground up, embellishing their death/doom beginnings with darker and more majestic arrangements that shift what Konvent are about, into a more experimental place.

    The five tracks here linger in cinematic instrumental realms, with each movement around 10 minutes, these four women have the ability to take risks here, from Exorcise to Postludium it's all about building something, the expanded run times letting the guitar/bass/drums showcase a much more dynamic range than on their last two albums.

    With Firesky they adopt a position that allows black metal to inflitrate their sound, using tension and release that results in cascading heavy riffs and the intense vocals, the lumbering doom and atmospheric post realms, cut through with death metal brutality and black metal fury.

    Firesky is Konvent altering their attention to something different but still well within the musical history as a band. Poignant, vivid and complex, this third album builds on the legacy of Konvent. 8/10

    Purest Form – Resistance (Dais Records) [Spike]

    There are bands that use industrial textures as a subtle studio seasoning, a bit of cold distortion here, an ominous synth pad there. And then there are acts that treat drum machines, serrated riffs, and 90s rave culture like pure incendiary fuel. 

    Emerging out of Los Angeles with backgrounds firmly rooted in aggressive hardcore outfits, the trio of vocalist Story Beeson, guitarist/programmer Madi Woodward, and bassist Riley Oikawa-Dahlson operate under the banner of Purest Form. 

    On their second EP and debut for Dais Records, Resistance, they deliver a six-track, fifteen-minute anarchist assault designed to shake concrete foundations.

    I'll be the first to admit that anything heavily "dance-forward" sits well outside my usual listening comfort zone. If you usually take your heavy music strictly through the medium of human drummers beating acoustic kits to splinters.

    A record built around fractured breakbeats, drum-and-bass tempos, and techno-infused electronic loops requires a sharp mental pivot. But here is the crux of it: heavy music only survives and evolves when artists possess the courage to push against comfortable boundaries to carve out their own territory. 

    Purest Form are doing exactly that, and that fearless spirit deserves genuine credit.

    The EP kicks the door in with Animal and right away the stylistic collisions hit with physical force. Described by the band as "White Zombie meets Underworld," it rides a relentless, danceable pulse underneath crushing, chugged guitar riffs. 

    Beeson’s vocal delivery is immediate and feral, shouting and spitting lines to the brink of vocal-cord shredding. The momentum charges straight into Break, which marries rapid-fire snare rolls with ascending guitars and raw, unhinged aggression, detailing a friendship pushed to extreme, destructive limits.

    Clocking in at barely over a minute, Beyond Terror serves as the project's most visceral, direct political statement. Fronted by a guttural vocal scream, it trades in distorted kicks and accelerating industrial stutters that feel like early Nine Inch Nails at their most caustic and confrontational. 

    The energy shifts again on More, where talk-rapped verses give way to eerie screeching textures and frantic breakbeats.

    The record hits its rhythmic manifesto on Bass Resistance, unleashing an abrasive siren-call bassline that pairs a drum-and-bass shove with metallic urgency, demanding raw volume and refusal to stand idly by. 

    To round out the set, they turn to a track that has long been a live staple: an aggressive cover of The Prodigy's Breathe. Running that iconic 90s big beat anthem through heavy guitar distortion and Beeson's abrasive vocal shred honours the original's reckless rave energy while giving it a raw, metallic spine.

    Resistance won't be for everyone, particularly those who prefer their heavy music kept safely within traditional metal boxes. But Purest Form aren't making polite background music; they've captured modern-day angst, trauma, and defiance through a turbulent collision of hardcore grit and industrial dance music. 

    An intriguing, boundary-pushing release from a young band charging ahead on their own terms. 8/10

    Dantalion - Dantalion (Base Record Production) [Mateusz Stefanow]

    The self-titled, 10th album by Galician black metal heavyweights Dantalion abandons their former blackened death approach in favour of melodic/atmospheric black metal nihilism.

    The album opens with Born Of My Own Damnation, which is a solid start to set the scene for what is to come, with dark, melodic guitarwork, growled vocals and heavier riffs that complement the darkness of the lyrics, focussing on the inherent darkness and decline of the human race.

    Ascend Through Ruin showcases Naemoth’s brilliant drumming techniques further, framing the vocals and Netzja’s melodic tremolos on the guitar. It feels as though Netzja is using his guitar as a paintbrush, with each stroke he layers this heavy atmosphere through the melodic technicality of his playing.

    Coming in with soaring riffing and deep growls, Whispers From the Inner Abyss embodies that phenomenal album art, in how it makes you feel abandoned by all light and goodness, afloat in that titular abyss.

    The Temple Of Internal Ruin feels melancholic, which I think Diego is trying to exacerbate via his clean vocals in sections here, but unfortunately for me, those clean vocals feel out of place and fall a little flat in regard to the rest of the album.

    Overall, this is an exquisite performance of atmospheric/melodic black metal, oozing character, grim desperation, melancholy and nihilistic vitriol throughout it’s seven tracks. 

    The return of Diego on vocals was an excellent choice, as he ties everything together with his various vocal techniques, even if not all of them land ideally for me, but hopefully others will find value in that. 8/10

    Sigilo - Gloria Ad Inferi (Alma Mater Records) [Yasmin Mason]

    First there was Mournkind. And out of the ashes of Mournkind, Sigilo was born, the latest solo project of Duarte "Selvmord" Pombo. Almost a decade in the making, Gloria Ad Inferi - Glory to Hell - is the debut album from Selvmord's latest incarnation.

    A tolling bell heralds the start of track 1, Black Spell Of Death Chaos And Destruction. If we were rating song titles, this would be a 10/10 for sure. I have high hopes that the song lives up to it's title. 

    There's a surprisingly catchy intro - which repeats throughout the track - before the full force of the song hits. At nearly eight minutes long it's a behemoth of a track, but it's put together well, with slower tempo sections giving a small respite before the ferocity kicks in again.

    Preliminary Invocation and Sombre Prayer For The Ostracized continue in a similar style to track 1, full on ferocious segments interspersed with slower tempo riffs which help to maintain interest throughout. I particularly like the spoken vocals on Preliminary Invocation.

    Universal Gathering Chantic, is a little bit more melodic, a little bit slower than the first three tracks. The squeal of the guitars and the more prominent keys, which eventually descend into a dark, distorted carnivalesque effect, give this track an atmosphere all of it's own.

    The next few tracks are shorter, faster and more furious but there's plenty to enjoy here, from the repetitive, almost trance inducing riff which plays throughout The Lurking Evil and the opening bars of Everything Satan, to the vocals of As Cosmic Forces Rise, which sound familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on who they remind me of.

    Instrumental title track Gloria Ad Inferi again brings a shift in atmosphere with more melodic riffs and keys playing a larger part. With a more uplifting feel, this track again feels reminiscent of something else, but I can't quite figure out what.

    Throughout the album, my attention is drawn to the guitars and vocals, with the drums and occasional keys very much playing a supporting role. There are plenty of catchy riffs throughout. I find myself enjoying Selvmord's vocals throughout the album but especially so on Engodo. Hearing Selvmord perform vocals in Portuguese elevates them to another level.

    The final two tracks, Cavernous Black Spell Of Death Chaos And Destruction and Cavernous Universal Chantic are repeats of earlier songs with a grainier production and with the keys much more prominent in the mix. 

    Do I like these versions? Yes. They sound more raw, more demo like. I like that. However others who prefer a more polished production may be less enthused by the addition of these two tracks.

    Overall an enjoyable and strong offering and well worth a spin! 8/10

    A View From The Back Of The Room: Manic Street Preachers & Suede (Alex Swift)

    Manic Street Preachers & Suede, Utilita Arena, Cardiff, 04.11.26


    At a time when Oasis are selling out stadiums, a co-headline tour with Suede and The Manic Street Preachers seems apt. Alongside Pulp, both bands appealed to a desire for cynical anti-pop that directly contrasted the braggadocios over-optimism of Brit-Pop.

    If Definitely Maybe is where you went for escapism, then Dog Man Star and The Holy Bible were where you’d go to remind yourself that you were still being stamped on constantly from on high (Blur, perhaps naively, sought to court both camps).

    The former spoke to lad-culture, while the latter two spoke to wallflowers, and outsiders. While they were all tarred, at first, with the flag-waving ‘brit-pop’ label, they reportedly came to despise the term. Theirs was a fiercely militant act, rooted in queer spaces and libraries. It should be no surprise then, that the acts performing tonight comprise two of my favourite 1990’s bands.

    Suede (10) bear all the swagger and confidence of a band who have total confidence in their performance and songs. Brett Anderson is a vivacious presence, constantly jumping off stage to interact with the crowd, or leading the audience in a joyous choir of voices. 

    While they barely address the crowd between songs, Animal Nitrate and Trash speak for themselves as yearning anthems about existing on the fringes of society, impervious to the sneering looks of strangers or the stories they tell behind your back.

    That being said, Suede’s newer songs are equally affecting. While they are not as well renowned, they might as well be considering how much passion is poured into the performances of tracks like Disintegrate. One of the most moving moments comes with She Still Leads Me On. 

    Taken from 2022’s excellent Autofiction record, the song is a moving tribute to Brett Anderson’s mother who died from cancer just as he was forming the band. It’s a piece that speaks to the messy, complicated nature of how love and grief persist in spite of a person’s imperfections. 

    This, alongside the piano led performance of The Wild One’s makes this half of tonight’s show incredibly emotional. A sentiment that pays off in the closing moments of The Beautiful Ones where we are invited to sing along to the sardonic, yet euphoric chorus of ‘La La La’ which closes the song and the set. A difficult act to follow.

    Manic Street Preachers (8) provide a brilliant show. Tearing through anthems like You Stole The Sun From My Heart and A Design For Life, there’s an elated feel to their set. James Dean Bradfield has long been one of my favourite frontmen, and he performs these songs perfectly, his remarkable range eloquently giving life to songs like Everything Must Go.

    While many of these songs are reframed and given new meaning by political ongoings, they bear out as exemplary tributes to Welsh identity. The culture, places and people we all grew up with bleeds into these songs, imbuing every singalong with a sense of friendship in the face of adversity.

    That being said, as you can probably tell from my score, this was not a perfect experience. To be absolutely clear, Nicky Wire is an icon, an incredible songwriter, and the Manics longevity is in no small part, due to him. All of that being said, he has grown far too confident in his (very limited) ability to sing with later releases. 

    For this reason, the decision of the band perform Hiding In Plain Sight from their most recent album - the frankly underwhelming Critical Thinking – leaves many shrugging their shoulders and wondering what they are hearing. This reception, I hope, will be taken as an indication of the bands limits next time they visit Cardiff.

    Paying tribute to Richie Edwards, at one point of the show James stands in the centre of the stage and plays the eternally sad This Is Yesterday, before transitioning into the mournful Everlasting. 

    “There may only be three of us up here tonight, but we will always be a four-piece” Wire remarks at one point, signalling the permanence with which their fallen bandmate lives in these musicians’ minds. His presence is there in every moment from the visceral Slash And Burn to the spine-tinging Die In The Summertime.

    As per tradition, The Manics close of If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next. Its another song that feels increasingly relevant, with each passing injustice, and a reminder to carry the messaging in these lyrics into the world outside of concert arena’s. 

    Indeed, while I began this review by talking about these bands place as anti-pop artists, it’s difficult to ignore the reality that they are now legacy acts. They would be the first to admit that. And yet, in spite of the time that’s passed since both bands sought to defy convention.

    There’s something that rings true to people like me about their ability to capture experiences of struggling to find your voice, in some of the most beautiful songs ever committed to paper! Besides, if the beautiful ones get to cash in on their nostalgia, then so do we!

    Reviews: Joanne Shaw Taylor, Bernie Marsden, Robin Thrower, Eric Steckel (Matt Bladen)

    Joanne Shaw Taylor - The Trouble With Love (Journeyman Records)

    If the new owners of 007 are looking for the next Bond theme then might I suggest This Is Who I Am from the latest Joanne Shaw Taylor album, The Trouble With Love, the slow burning track originally by Celeste, features Joanne's soulful vocals against plaintive piano stings and sweeping orchestration. 

    It's a barn burner but one of many on this latest record, from the rollicking title track which features long time friend/collaborator Joe Bonamassa on extra guitar, to the emotional Tired Of Being Right, the gospel blues of Hell Or High Water or the painful What Good Is My Love which features Orianthi, these two guest slots indicative of the records theme of exploring relationships. 

    Not just romantic ones, but toxic ones on Bad Boy and ones where friendship is at the heart, often offering something stronger than any relationship, as Joanne proves with the showstopping You And Me (Rachel's Song), showing vulnerability, as Never Gonna Please Them has a defiant fire to it.

    Every track on The Trouble With Love features those raspy, authentic vocals and guitar wizardary that seamlessly moves between different soundscapes, capturing blues rock toughness, soulful honesty and some atmospheric wonderment on Death Wish.

    Each track sonically boosted by Kevin Shirley to add another brilliant record to Joanne Shaw Taylor collection. 8/10

    Bernie Marsden - STAGE (Conquest Music)

    The fifth and final album in the Bernie Marsden Inspirations Series is STAGE, celebrating the place where this titan of British blues rock was perhaps most at home. 

    His live performances were always something to behold, especially in South Wales as he became the house artist for Steelhouse Festival for a number of years, with Steelhouse Festival founders, Mikey & Max paying haonge to great man in the linear notes for this album who will always remain a Steelhouse legend. 

    STAGE combines four live concerts from across three decades, each showcasing Marsden's brilliant voice and guitar playing, but also his warmth and charisma that endeared him to anyone that was in the room with home while he performed. 

    Opening with an intimate acoustic performance from The Radcliffe Centre, Buckingham in 2008, it's great way to ease yourself into Marsden on stage, intricate playing, soft strings and an audience in awe as he plays Out On The Western Plains a Leadbelly tune that he makes his own.

    While closing this side with Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City, the Bobby 'Blue' Bland track that Marsden introduced to David Coverdale and became a Whitesnake staple from then on, stripped back to it's roots, it perhaps hits harder with the additional strings.

    The second set is culled from his 2019 slot on the Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea, cruise and features rollicking tracks such as Boss Of The Blues and Reconsider Baby, all with a brass section parping behind him, showcasing the versatility of his playing.

    Side C gets old school Blues rock showcase from Notodden Blues Festival, Norway in 1996, Marsden joined by Snowy White, Tony Ashton, David Levy & Henry Spinetti, for an incendiary set that ends with a ferocious version of Fleetwood Mac's Oh Well.

    So far there's every facet of Bernie Marsden's playing, the last part of the record coming from Under The Bridge in 2020, the influence of Marsden can be really felt here with Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues form 1979's Lovehunter and a killer guitar duel with Joe Bonamassa on Walking By Myself originally by Jimmy Rogers but more famously by The Gary Moore.

    After his untimely passing in 2023, these records serve as documents of a life well lived. With STAGE he's surrounded by friends and fans who are left in no doubt that this is where Bernie Marsden belongs. 8/10

    Robin Trower - Shine (Provogue Records)

    There are living legends in this industry and then there are musicians like Robin Trower, at 81 years old he's still creating and writing and touring, his late career creativity just as important to him as those early days with Procol Harum and 1974's Bridge Of Sighs. 

    As I said, as Trower shifted into legendary status, he didn't take the easy way out and regurgitate those early songs that are rock radio staples, instead he chose to keep writing and performing as in his words: “I think you’ve either got to keep pushing – or give up.” 

    There's no fear of giving up, Trower is a man who will be eeking emotion out of that Stratocaster until the very end, playing with all the heart and soul as he did in his younger years. Across nearly thirty records, he's collaborated with numerous artists, most recently Sari Schorr.

    His own volumes of work is frightening, eight albums in ten years, and no signs of slowing down yet as Shine continues that creative pace as a record that is about the struggle of now but tried not to be to maudlin, instead Trower, wants to give hope.

    There's a feeling if hope that runs through the record, it's funky, bluesy and features that oh so memorable guitar sound of Trower's with Live Your Time, The Missing Piece, and the moody Driving Through all featuring the best guitar work for my money as Trower takes guitar and bass on this record. 

    Chris Taggart's drums anchors the grooves and Richard Watts proves to be the best vocal foil for Trower's playing, though Jess Hayes does a great job on Truth, joining this well established band easily on more guitar driven bluesing from this definition of a legend. 8/10

    Eric Steckel - Sandstorm (SPV)

    Eric Steckel does things the old way, inspired by Joe Bonamassa, Walter Trout, Rory Gallagher Stevie Ray Vaughan or any act that defines authentic, organic blues rock, without the need for studio tricks, cinematic soundscapes and the like, just emotional soulful vocals and powerhouse guitar playing. 

    Having played in over 30 countries, the 23 year veteran is no young hotshot, though he is only 34, he's been storming stages for a long while now with something described as blues metal, a fierce concoction of heavy riffs he's been lauded as one of the best blues guitarists in the world and his new album Sandstorm is hell of a lot of fun for blues rock fans. 

    Packed with meaty riffs, tracks such as The Other Guy and What I Want To Believe have a macho heavy metal ethos to them, the latter falling into some Alter Bridge grooves. Steckel can also capture the pure spirirt of the blues with the Blues For The Lonely and the smokey slinking of Empty Promises, here channeling the dram and staging of Gary Moore.

    Eric has a pretty high pedigree having played with/in support of Ray Charles, B.B King and John Mayall and that just seeps through every note of Sandstorm, and while he's a new name to me, I'm going to be deep diving into the catalogue of Eric Steckel on the back of how darn good this album is. 9/10